Parties argued the duration of burning and the area of origin in a court hearing for an alleged Woodgrains Furniture arson case Friday.

Monday, January 07, 2002

Parties argued the duration of burning and the area of origin in a court hearing for an alleged Woodgrains Furniture arson case Friday. The trial was set for 10 days starting Feb. 25.

Prosecutor David Walker called two witnesses to discuss the presence of accelerant in the fire, which is an element for establishing a first-degree arson.

Defense attorney Donald W. Savelkoul already challenged evidence in connection with the use of a combustible gas detector.

In this last evidential hearing the focus was on evidence about the time and patterns of the fire at the downtown shop.

The prosecutor asserts the rapid expansion of the fire, a distinctive low-burn and V-shape burn pattern, and apparent multiple areas of ignition origin constitute that the fire was intentionally set using some type of accelerant.

According to testimony by Doug Johnson, Albert Lea Fire Department, and Steve Wolf, Deputy State Fire Marshal, the fire started around 5 p.m. on Dec. 6, 2000 after the defendant, Bryan Timothy Purdie, had left the shop.

The first 911 call was at 5:08 p.m. by Mark Jones, who worked at an office in the next building.

Firefighters arrived at the scene at 5:11, but the fire had already almost extinguished itself using up the oxygen in the store.

Savelkoul questioned whether the fire might have been smoldering in electrical cords for Christmas lights at the scene before 5 p.m.

But Johnson provided information that neither a customer nor a family member who left the shop shortly before 5 p.m. noticed any sign of fire.

The witnesses said the burns on the floor carpet suggest two areas of origin in the center portion of the store. V-shaped burn traces on the adjacent walls and &uot;clean burn&uot; on the ceiling above caused by intense heat also indicate those spots were the fire origin.

Savelkoul asked if fire could have spread from one area and flame up in the other. Wolf said such communication of fire was implausible through the floor carpet.

He also pointed out the investigation did not mention multiple areas of origin at the beginning. The report by the Fire Marshal in March of 2001 did not refer to the second ignition area.

The investigators took samples only from one suspected ignition area, and the test results were negative for accelerant.

Judge John Chesterman will rule at a later date on whether the evidence presented Friday will be admissible during the trial.